Apparatus for continuous windup



Aug; 10, 1954 H. D. STEVENS APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS WINDUP 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 4, 1948 INVENT OR HORACE D. STEVENS lllll. l llll AY JJ ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1954 H. D. STEVENS 2,685,015

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS wmnup Filed Aug. 4, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 I y I INVENTOR- HORACE o. STEVENS ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1954 H. D. STEVENS APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS WINDUP 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 4, 1948 INVENT OR HORACE D. STEV EN S ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1954 H. D. STEVENS 2,686,015

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS WINDUP Filed Aug. 4, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR HORACE D. STEVENS BY jz/mm/ ATTORNEY 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 ,s4 in o H. D. STEVENS APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS WINDUP Aug. 10, 1954 Filed Aug. 4, 1948 FIG. 8

ATTORNEY HORACE o. STEVENS Aug. 10, 1954 H. D. STEVENS 2,636,015

APRARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS WINDUP Filed Aug. 4, 1948 v e Sheets-Sheet 6 TA CI-IOMETER lhwentor Home: 0; .srzmvs attorney- Patented Aug. 10, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS WINDUP Horace D. Stevens, Akron, Ohio Application August 4, 1948, Serial No. 42,383

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a wind-up device and in particular to an apparatus wherein winding of material onto a fresh spool is carried on without interruption for spool change-over.

In the particular embodiment shown herein, the apparatus is illustrated in its use in connection with the wind-up of calendered sheets of plastic film, but it will be understood that its use will extend to the wind-up of various materials, paper or linoleum, for instance.

The calendering of thin, plastic sheets occasions such a linear speed on the finished end (125 yards per minute) that prior methods of reeling and change-over have proved inadequate. At slow emission speeds an adept workman could change rolls and catch up with the winding without the necessity of interrupting the calendaring or other process, but at the higher speeds this has not been possible.

Briefly, the change-over of the apparatus of this invention is accomplished by means of a dual set of spools, one of which is held in readiness to take over the Wind-up when the other attains its allotted yardage. The change-over is accomplished by an almost simultaneous cut ting of the stock and the engagement of the stock behind the cut with an empty stand-by spool. In the apparatus presented for illustration, spaced spools are mounted at the ends of arms pivoted for rotation, and during the change-over the positions of the spools are interchanged in position, each proceeding as though no cutting or spool changing had occurred.

A principal object of the invention is to provide apparatus adapted to receive and wind sheet or strip material from a calender upon successive stock spoois at the normal output speed of calenders in common use, and without interruption of the calendaring operation.

It is another object to provide an apparatus whereby a reeling process may be made continuous without interruption to the wind-up process, a further object being to provide such an apparatus in which a reserve spool is prepared and held in readiness.

Other objects will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon examination of the drawings, description, and appended claims.

The invention, in its preferred embodiment, is described in particularity in the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which like parts are identified with the same reference numeral.

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the wind-up and cutting apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the wind-up unit;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4- of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail showing the knife in relation to the shearing guides;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged viewof the right-hand end of Fig. 3 with the cover removed;

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of the knife mechanism taken on the reverse side from that of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a top plan View of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a detail of the pressure roller of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged View of the left end of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 with the cover removed; and

Figs. 12, 13 and 14 are wiring diagrams of the control circuits.

Fig. 1 shows a sheet of film it at the stage of emergence from a calendering machine (not shown). Within the structure ii the moving film is associated with a compensating device which takes care of differences in speed due to the expanding diameter of the take-up roll and other causes. Since the compensating device is conventional and forms no part of the present invention, it is merely shown schematically.

From the compensator the film passes to a power-driven wind-up spool i2. When a pre determined yardage has been wound on spool. 52, knife blade i3 is caused to descend and cut the film, after a pressure roller it brings the following film into contact with a second powerdriven wind-up spool it, previously treated with an adhesive coating. The winding proceeds on spool E5 in the position shown. Spools i2 i5 are mounted on expanding mandrels 23, 25 (Figs. 2 and 3) at the ends of a pair of arms It, ll carried by trunnions i8 journalled in bushings i9, 23 carried on standards 23, 22. With this arrangement mandrels 23, 2d and spools i2, it are interchangeable in position through swinging of the assembly through 180 of arc.

The wind-up unit Mandrels 23, 2e are demountably attached to the arms 16, 5! through pins 25, 26 urged by springs 27, 2t and are manually actuable by Isvers 29, 39.

Pairs of guide rolls 3!, 32 are carried by the arms [6, i1 and located respectively above and below the plane of the mandrels 23, 24, and are so located as to be at or above the top of a fully wound spool 52 or 15. Between these pairs of guide rolls are located spaced plates 33, 34, which act as shearing guides for the knife blade.

The mandrel 25 is rotated by a sprocket chain 35 which in turn is actuated by a second sprocket chain 36 powered by a motor 3?. Similarly, mandrel 23 is rotated independently by chains 38, 39 and motor 40.

The swinging or interchange of mandrels 23 and 26 is effected through an air cylinder 4| (Figs. 1, 2, and 11) carrying a rack 42 engaging with a pinion 43 which actuates the shaft 18 through a one-way clutch 44. The length of the rack 42 is such as to accomplish a half revolution of the shaft and thereafter, when the air pressure is reversed in the cylinder ll, the rack will be urged back to low position in readiness for the succeed ng stroke. The wind-up system is further held against reverse revolution by pawls l5! urged by spring 153 into engagement with slots I52.

Means, later to be described, are provided for locking the shaft against rotation after the half revolution, and, in view of this, and in further view of the fact that the shaft will overrun the clutch after the winding spool passes top center, check means are provided. These comprise a pair of hydraulic stabilizers 45, 45, on opposite ends of the wind-up unit (Figs. 1, 4, 6, '7, 11) which are conventional except for added features relating to their control, and are connected to the outer ends of trunnions 18 through torque arms 47, 48 which are keyed to the shaft and positioned 180 out of phase with each other. Thus, although the conventional check is uni-directional in its action, the arrangement shown provides for cushioning at all stages of a complete revolution of the assembly. The checks, as seen in Fig. 7, are mounted through trunnions 49 in antifriction bearings so as to be oscillatable about a line about midway of each check cylinder.

Although the solenoids to both stabilizers are energized at the same time, the dashpot action is uni-directional, and therefore only one is in action at one time, namely the one associated with the rising spool. The stabilizers are of a conventional type, the novel action employed in the apparatus of this invention comp-rising a solenoid valve which shuts off the oil or other fluid in the restricted return duct. This affords a fine, yet rugged control for stopping the rotation at the index position without depending solely on the locking pins. In the operation of the apparatus, the function of the pins is limited to holding alone, thus contributing to smoothness and certainty of operation without undue wear or breakage in the parts.

A refinement of the hydro-check system consists in provision of a pair of auxiliary stabilizers I 45, 15!), attached to arms 41, E8 and so oriented as to give full stabilizer action when either arm 41 or 18 is at the zenith position. At this point the rate of motion of the rod of the main stabilizer is practically zero, and the auxiliary stabilizer presents a component which compensates for this by presenting a stabilizer at a more favorable angle. The auxiliary stabilizers act solely in response to rotation of the wind-up apparatus and require no switches or controls.

The arrangement for interrupting the motion of the stabilizers is shown in detail in Fig. 6. The conventional parts comprise a cylinder [36 receiving a two-part piston l3! constituting a check valve which is carried on piston rod I38. On downward motion of the piston as seen in the figure, it merely passes the fluid in the cylinder without retardation. However, on upward motion, the piston will not pass fluid, and. its motion is controlled by the circulation of fluid through a restricted orifice in pipe 139 by which the fluid is transferred to the other side of the piston. The motion of rod I38 into and out of the cylinder causes a constantly varying value of the effective volume of the cylinder, and this is compensated for by a balance cylinder I453 in which displaced fluid is received, and from which it is restored by a spring-pressed piston Ml.

A shut-off needle I42 is movable into the path of fluid in the pipe 139 to block the same. In the particular apparatus of this invention, the needle is operated as by a solenoid 163, although other means of actuation are, of course, possible. Blocking of the reduced oil duct affords a simple and effective means of interrupting the stabilizer action and therefore the motion of the part be ing controlled, and the device requires little expenditure of energy regardless of the amount of mass being controlled.

Indexing means for the revolving system are provided in a pair of disks 5i), 5! having openings such as 52 (Fig. 7), which receive conical-headed pins such as 53 actuated by air cylinders 54, the openings being spaced apart on each disk (Fig. 6). Various control means throughout the assembly will be described concurrently with adiscussion of the sequence of operations.

The cutting unit Referring in greater detail to the cutting unit briefly mentioned above, reference is had to Figs. 1, 8 and 9.

The knife blade i3 is carried by a frame hav ing tubular end members 55, 56 and tubular cross braces 51, 58, the whole being revolvable about a shaft 59 through connectors Bil, Bi journalled on the shaft and receiving the end members 55, 55 at a point eccentric to the shaft. The shaft 59 is carried by the structure H through brackets 62, 63. The knife blade is carried by an angle bar 6d and the latter is carried by the end members 55, 56 of the frame through angle brackets 85, 66 which in turn are fastened to upstanding fianges 6'3, 68 on nipples 69, 1G fixed on the end members. A heating element "H is provided in the angle bar 55 to heat the knife for improved cutting.

The knife frame assembly is raised or lowered in an are about the axis of shaft 58 by means of an air cylinder assembly indicated generally at 12, Fig. 8. This power unit is shown as attached to a base :3 which is articulated to abracket member E4 on the structure ll through a bracket '35, the two being connected through a pin 16.

The base '53 carries a large air cylinder ll with piston rod 78 connected to frame member 51 through a journal 39 held against side motion by collars 80, 8!.

The motion of the frame member 51 is also controlled by a second and smaller air cylinder 82 connected thereto through its piston rod 83, a cross-piece 84, tie rods 85, 86 and a second lower cross-piece 8'! attached to the journal 19. A member 83 carried by the base 13 has through openings receiving tie rods 85, 86 at an intermediate point to prevent buckling of the rods. Piston rod 83 is guided in an arcuate slot 89 in a bracket 95, provided with openings 9!, 92 for tie rods 85, 86.

Knife lift cylinder 11 is provided with air conduits 93, 94, both connected with-a solenoid valve 95, stop cylinder 82 having conduits 96, 91 leading to another solenoid valve 98. When winding is proceeding as shown in Fig. l, the cylinder TI is under pressure above its piston to urge the knife I3 downwardly. However, the cylinder 82 is under a slightly higher pressure than the cylinder 11 on the lower side of its piston and therefore the knife assembly cannot proceed beyond the outer limit of extent of the rod 83 of the stop cylinder 82. Cutting is initiated by reversing the fluid flow in valve 98. The knife is urged downward with a quick trigger action, not only by virtue of the existing pressure in the top of cylinder H but also with the assistance of the build-up of pressure in the top of cylinder 82.

The pressure roller l4, briefly referred to early in this description, is journalled in a pair of depending brackets 99, I50 secured to the tubular end members 55, 56 respectively. As best seen in Fig. the bearing anchorage of the roller I4 is slidable up and down in the bracket 99 against the action of a helical spring IiiI. Thus, when the knife assemblage is lowered, roll I4 brings the material into contact with the prepared spool I5 without shock and builds up in a gradual manner to the contact pressure necessary to effect adhesion of the film to the spool.

The knife assemblage is surrounded by a guard rail comprising side pieces IilZ, m3 and a crosspiece IE4 at the ends of which are upstanding brackets I05, I06 having three sets of aligned bores receiving guard rods It! in front of the knife. The side pieces m2, W3 are articulated to the same shaft 5. as the knife-carrying frame and are also offset therefrom by connectors [68, I09, but to a lesser degree than members 6% 5| connecting the knife frame to the shaft. A pair of brackets Ht, III are carried by the depending brackets 99, I09 and have outwardly extending portions H2, H3 adapted to engage under the side pieces I02, I133 and lift the same to make clearance for revolution of the arms l5, [1. Just prior to engagement of the roll I4 with spool I5, the guard rail unit is intercepted by contact of the side pieces I02, 103 with the shearing guide plates 33, 34. The brackets H0, HI have elongated slots H4 for adjustable attachment to brackets 99, lfiil. This is to provide adjustment in the positioning of frame members H92, 503 so that after the latter have made contact with shearing guides 33, 34, the roller brackets 99, I06 are allowed some overtravel, since if the stop cylinder arrested the knife frame prior to contact of members I62, N33 with the shearing guides, a troublesome oscillation would be set up in the end of the guard frame.

Switch H8 is contacted by knife frame member 55. This switch is electrically associated with and adapted to close or open switches in the circuits of Hi, I42, I43 of the spool position changing air cylinder HI and the stabilizers 35 and 46. Stabilizer 46 is made up of a piston noid operated. The motion of rod I38 into and .out of the cylinder causes a constantly varying" valueof the effective volume of the cylinder and this is compensated by a balance cylinder Mil in which discharged fluid is received and from which it is restored by piston I ll. Auxiliary stabilizer I49 on one side of the apparatus and I58 on the other side are attached to arms 61 and 48 and orientated to give full stabilization when either arm 41 or 48 is at the zenith portion. The auxiliary stabilizers act only in response to rotation of the wind up apparatus and require no switches or controls. After the wind up system has been rotated by rack G2 and indexed by stabilizer 45 and pin 53, a spring i553 urges pawls I5I .into engagement with slot I52 to prevent reverse revolution.

The sequence of automatic operation will now be described, with additional reference to the wiring diagrams of Figs. 12, 13 and 14.

Operation Assuming that stock is being wound upon the spool I2 as shown in Fig. 1, the solenoid valve for knife-lift cylinder TI is energized and the pressure is above the piston whereby to urge the knife I3 downwardly. At the same time, the solenoid valve 98 is de-energized and the pre sure is beneath the piston to hold piston rod S3 at its outer extremity whereby the knife is is held in the pre-cutting position a short distance above the stock being wound, as shown in full lines.

When the proper amount of sheet material has been wound on the roll, a yardage counter switch of a known type, II 5, associated with the calendering mechanism and shown schematically to the left of Fig. 1 makes circuit-closing contact. This energizes the solenoid operated valve 93 reversing the pressure to urge the piston in cylinder 82 downwardly. Thus, the pistons in both cylinders 82 and IT are under a pressure tending to move the knife downwardly and the latter descends the short distance to and through the stock I0, cutting it with a sharp, trigger action.

With the initiation of this movement, a switch H6 is actuated by the upper cross-piece 84 of the knife-lift cylinder frame and actuates mechanism, not shown, to disconnect the driving power to the full spool, and to brake, in delayed relation thereto, spool I2 of the full roll to a stop.

The pressure roller is, being attached to the knife-holding frame, descends with the knife and brings the sheet If! into engagement with the prepared roll I5. Due to pressure of the roller M and the adhesive on the roller I5, the stock commences to wind on the spool l5. This occurs just prior to engagement of the knife with the material, the material being maintained under tension to effect a clean cutting action of the knife. After the cut is made, the leading edge of the material is drawn back into a double fold on the bottom layer of the spool l5 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. It has been found that this double bottom layer contributes in great measure to a smooth initiation of winding and lines 249, 258.

swung to the rightward position by actuating a push button switch IIB to initiate a series of events as hereinafter described. Opening of switch H8 deenergizes the solenoid valve 95 of the knife-lift-cylinder, placing the pressure under the piston and raising the knife to its highest position, thereby affording clearance for swinging the windup arms I6, Ii. The knife frame member 55 in its swing actuates a switch I IE) to close one of three open switches in the circuit to the solenoids MI, M2, I43, respectively, of spool position changing air cylinder ii and stabilizers 45, 46, and to open the circuit of the solenoid in valve 98, placing the pressure under the piston in stop cylinder 82 to raise the rod 83 to its stop position, whereby the knife, when lowered, will be held at a point just above the sheet material. At the same time, push button I I8 closes the circuit to solenoid valves I28 causing the piston in air cylinders 54 to withdraw indexing pins 53, freeing the disks I and the associated windup assembly for rotation. In order to ensure that the assembly is unlocked before rotation is commenced, operation of the reversing cylinder M and the stabilizers 45, 48 is controlled by switches IZI, I 22 associated with the locking pins. As shown in Fig. 7, a roller I 23 on the arm of switch I 22 iscontacted by a pin I3I carried by locking pin 53, and which rides in a slot I24 in the looking pin housing I25, to close switch I 22. With both pins out, and switch I2 I also closed in response to the push-button switch IIS and the solenoid I2ii, the circuit to the soienoid ii of reversing cylinder GI, and to solenoids Hi2, I43 for stabilizers Q5, 46 is closed, a third switch H9 in the circuit having been previously closed as mentioned above, arm I5 is caused to rotate. Rotation is continued on release of the push button switch II8 by means of a double switch I 2t, as best shown in Fig. 11, controlling respectively a shunt around the push button and the line to solenoid 95. This switch [it has a spring bias to shunt the push button, and is moved to open the same and close the line to solenoid 95 by one of two lugs I39 carried by the disk 50 and spaced 180 apart. Thus, as the disk rotates, the lug I36 clears the switch I29, and the lattersprings back and closes the shunt around the push button, which may then be released without interruption of the rotation. At the same time line to solenoid 95 is opened so that even after the push button is released the knife will be held in raised position. When the assembly has rotated through 180 one of the lugs I33 will actuate I switch 29 to open all circuits leading to the reversing cylinder, the stabilizers and the locking pins (solenoids I29, Iii, I42 and I43). This results in a locking of the action in the stabilizers, locking of the disks 5t, 5I in indexed position, and lowering of the rack 42. At the same time, the switch I29 closes the circuit to the solenoid 95 of knife-lift cylinder I? and the knife is lowered into contact with the extended stop rod 83. This completes the cycle in the single circuit described.

In Fig. 13 is shown an auxiliary circuit for motors 37 and 43 as controlled byswitches IIG and I32. Switch I I6, which is actuated on the cutting stroke of the knife, normally closes a line with branches I45, I46 leading to each of the motors 37 and MI, respectively. In addition, the motors may be energized through independent Lines I45, H16, 249, and 2st lead to a reciprocal four circuit switch I32 to be controlled in pairs, as determined by the position of arcuate actuating cam I35.

Both motors are normally running except when the knife is at its lowest position after a cutting operation, with switch II6 open and motor 31 stopped. After push-button II8 of another circuit is operated to effect interchange of the rolls, the knife will rise and switch III; will be restored to circuit-closing position. Simultaneously, switch I32 is actuated by roller I33 riding on by arcuate cam I35 to close lines I46 and 249 and open lines I45 and 250. The arrangement is then such that the next opening of switch IIS stops motor 40.

In Fig. 14 is shown a circuit for the transfer of speed indication of the motors 3i and 40. A switch I34, similar in construction and operation to motor-starting switch I32, is located on the other disk 5I to be actuated by a cam i135. This switch shifts an indicating voltmeter circuit from one to the other of tachometer devices I41, I48 associated with the motors 3?, 45 respectively.

While certain embodiments of the invention have been shown, obviously certain modifications may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for continuously winding plastic sheet material, spool bearing members mounted for rotation about a common axis, a plurality of spools mounted on said members for rotation about their own axes, means for indexing said members about said axis, means for selectively driving said spools about their own axes, means directing said sheet material to one of said spools to be wound thereon and for securing said sheet material to a second of said spools, stabilizer means responsive to said indexing means, means for rendering said stabilizer means operative during rotation of said spool bearing members and rendering said stabilizer means inoperative to said spool bearing members in position upon completion of said indexing operation, and cutter means operable after the operation of said securing means adapted to sever the sheet material stretched between said first and second rolls.

2. In an apparatus for continuously winding plastic sheet material, spool bearing members mounted for rotation about a common axis, a plurality of spools mounted on said members for rotation about their own axes, means for indexing said members about said axis, means for selectively driving said spools about their own axes, means directing said sheet material to one of said spools to be wound thereon and for securing said sheet material to a second of said spools, stabilizer means responsive to said indexing means, means for rendering said stabilizing means operative during rotation of said spool bearing members and rendering said stabilizing means inoperative to said spool bearing members in position upon completion of said indexing operation, cutter means operative after the operation of said securing means adapted to sever sheet material stretched between said first and second spools, said directing and securing means responsive to a predetermined yardage of material wound on said first spool.

3. In an apparatus for continuously winding plastic sheet material, spool bearing members mounted for rotation about a common axis, a plurality of spools mounted on said members for rotation about their own axes, means for indexing said members about said axis, means for selectively driving said spools about their own axes, means directing said sheet material to one of said spools to be wound thereon and for securing said sheet material to a second of said spools, stabilizer means responsive to said indexing means, means for rendering said stabilizing means operative during rotation of said spool bearing members and rendering said stabilizing means inoperative to said spool bearing members in position upon completion of said indexing operation, cutter means operative after the operation of said securing means adapted to sever sheet material stretched between said first and second spools, said directing and securing means responsive to a predetermined yardage of material wound on said first spool and adapted to place the material between said spools under tension. i

4. In an apparatus for continuously winding plastic sheet material, spool bearing members mounted for rotation about a common axis, a plurality of spools mounted on said members for rotation about their own axes, means for indexing said members about said axis, means for selectively driving said spools about their own axes, means directing said sheet material to one of said spools to be wound thereon and for securing said sheet material to a second of said spools, hydraulic stabilizer means responsive to said indexing means, means for rendering said stabilizer means operative during rotation of said spool bearing members and rendering said stabilizer means operative during rotation of ing members in position upon completion of said indexing operation, and cutter means operable after the operation 2 of said securing means adapted to sever the sheet material stretched between said first and second rolls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,972,676 Bolza Sept. 4, 1934 2,006,499 Fourness et a1. July 2, 1935 2,095,123 Carkhuff Oct. 5, 1937 32,371 Corbin et al. Oct. 19, 1943 2,3 Roesen Sept. 12, 1944 2,361,264 Christman Oct. 24, 1944 

